The inundation of messages in business communication software like Zoho Cliq often results in users getting irritated. Unread messages, seen-zoning, and channel clutter are some common pain points that these users experience. Organized conversations are pivotal in ensuring clarity, accessibility, and actionability of information.
The Threads feature was released to organize conversations in channels and to streamline communication. With Threads, users have experienced enhanced collaboration and faster decision-making. Let's look at five ways you can utilize this feature's potential to become super productive at work.
1. Decluttering the channel
Do you remember your schooldays when the teacher would say, "Is this a market?" If you've never heard this one before, it's a way of telling students that they're being too noisy. This feeling is exactly what happens when the channel is not properly managed. The primary goal of Threads is to make the channel clutter-free. The feature helps organize conversations based on topics, keep discussions focused, and reduce the noise in the channel.
If you have 50 active participants in a channel where they discuss various topics, it would be advisable to create threads based on the topics and enable participants related to topics to discuss within those threads. How does decluttering a channel make you productive? The State of Workplace Communication in 2024 report by Forbes has the answer: 50% of workers report their productivity is affected by ineffective communication. Decluttering a channel ensures that communication becomes seamless.
2. Threads as a mini project management tool
The second benefit is for all the productivity-hack fans out there. Threads can also be used as a lightweight project management tool to be productive at work. Our users have capitalized on one of the feature's capabilities to unlock this productivity treasure trove. A good project management tool will help users track their work and plan well to complete their tasks on time. This basic principle is hidden in the "open and close" component of Threads.
Work in progress or discussions for which a conclusion has not been reached can be kept separate from completed work items and discussions. When too many work items remain open, it can overwhelm you and slow down your progress. Conversely, closing work items provides a sense of accomplishment and clears your workload, allowing you to concentrate on new tasks. Balancing open and closed items is crucial for efficient task completion, stress reduction, and maintaining a steady workflow. This equilibrium is vital for sustaining high productivity in any work environment.
If you have created ten threads for ten work items, and you have completed six of these work items, you can close those six threads, allowing you to concentrate on the remaining four open threads. It may sound simple, but it is powerful for those who use this feature.
3. Respond faster and save time
Have you waited for a response from a colleague in a group chat, and when they don't reply, you reach out to them directly and hear the standard response, " Sorry, I didn't see your message, as I didn't get a chat notification."?
Notifications are essential tools that keep you updated in a noisy environment. They provide real-time alerts about important messages, meetings, and tasks, ensuring you never miss crucial information. Well-managed notifications can also enhance your productivity. However, it’s important to customize notifications to filter out non-essential alerts, allowing you to focus on what truly matters. By striking the right balance, notifications can help you stay organized, on schedule, and responsive to important messages so that you stay distraction-free.
You have the option to follow and unfollow threads based on your preference. If you don't want to miss out on any discussion in a thread, all you have to do is follow that thread. You'll be able to respond faster to the messages because you'll be notified when someone messages in that thread.
4. Promotes transparency in workplace communication
Siloed conversations in the workplace occur when teams or individuals communicate within their groups without sharing information across the organization. This lack of cross-functional communication can lead to misunderstandings, duplicated efforts, and missed opportunities. It creates barriers to collaboration, resulting in inefficiencies and delays in decision-making. Moreover, important insights or innovative ideas may be confined to one group, preventing the organization from fully leveraging its collective knowledge.
This is where threads come in handy. Instead of creating groups for every conversation, you can communicate in relevant threads inside a channel for more transparency. You'll still have to create groups for confidential conversations, but these can contribute to a fragmented work culture, where employees may feel isolated or disconnected from the broader goals. Overcoming this disconnect is essential to promote collaboration and improve overall productivity.
5. Communicate according to your comfort
Channels in Zoho Cliq come with the dual reply option; users get to choose between normal replies and threaded replies based on how the channel is configured. This approach caters to different communication preferences, ensuring messages reach everyone. It enhances flexibility, allowing employees to choose the most suitable mode of reply for the task at hand—quick updates via normal replies or detailed discussions through threads or collaborative brainstorming in video meetings within those threads.
By leveraging dual modes, organizations can improve responsiveness and reduce misunderstandings. Note that managing these two modes efficiently is important to avoid communication overload and maintain productivity.
If you were thinking that the Threads feature may not apply to your daily work needs, we hope this breakdown has given clarity into each of its useful benefits.
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